Getting Your Team on the Same Page, By Katelyn Chapman

Are you part of a new team at school or work? Here are some six tips for getting your team on the same page and increasing your chances of a successful outcome. I invite you to review these tips and then ask yourself what hinders you from putting these into action… You know you should “Get Ready, Aim, and Fire” but are you just firing?

1. Build social capital- Understand each other (name, role in organization, strengths/weaknesses, etc.). By providing open space for individuals to candidly discuss their strengths and weaknesses, the team gains an invaluable understanding of each other. The team will then be able to leverage each other’s strengths.


2. Identify a shared vision- Every business needs a vision (where you want to go) as part of their long-term or “strategic plan,” so what’s different for a team? Nothing! Teams also need this glue to align interests, making sure that everyone is aiming for the same end result. Please note the importance of having input from every member at this stage, so everyone feels a part of the end result and knows they contributed. What happens if a team doesn’t have this shared vision? Say you are part of a team and three members think the end goal is to get a project completed for 20 people, whereas others think it’s for 200 people. The members will have different perspectives of what is “right and wrong” for the group. This shared view also helps the members of the group who are “bigger picture” thinkers.


3. Identify roles that best fit individual’s strengths/ weaknesses. By engaging people, they will be more directly involved, and therefore form a stronger bond with the team. This can also help individuals identify themselves as a leader. If an individual does not volunteer for a position but you see leadership potential, you can say, “You seem to have a lot of leadership potential.” The use of this coaching has been suggested by the Leadership Identity Development Model as a way to help move individuals through the different stages of leadership development.

4. Identify meeting times- Is there a regular time/place that works for everyone so people can have a predictable time?


5. Construct a time-line- Set sequential goals that will help you get to the end result. This will help shape your big picture idea and especially accommodate the detailed-oriented team members. This will also serve as an ongoing communication tool- expressing the status of the different project tasks.


6. Identify “Rules of Engagement”- What are the consequences for tasks not being completed? In my most successful group projects for business and academics, we agreed when tasks would be completed, how they would be submitted, and consequences. When people know they will be held accountable for something, they will be more likely to not put your project/team on the back burner. This serves as a preventative step to those DISASTER TEAMS, and something you can use as a “check in” during the duration of the project.

Author: Katelyn Chapman